After 30 years of teaching at Northeast High School in Philadelphia, Mr. Fred Wood decided to take his talents to Cherry Hill.

A family man with a daughter at Rutgers-Camden Honors College and a wife who he has been married to for 24 years, Wood enjoys fishing and singing in choir outside of class. When it comes to teaching, Wood goes by the philosophy that as a teacher, it is his job to create strong relationships with his students. As a physics teacher, Wood feels that he teaches a very rigorous course. Using his own methods to connect with the students and his effort to make each student a better person not just in the classroom will truly make him fit into the East community.

Coming from Northeast Philadelphia, Wood has found many differences in the Cherry Hill School District, yet he is able to maintain his same wholehearted relationships with his students.

“Students are students,” Wood said when asked if there is a difference in teaching children from the different districts.

Wood feels that no matter where he teaches, creating a bond with his students is extremely important. One thing Wood said about his students that remains the same from school to school would be his “concern about them being moral, productive people who are able to think critically.”

Critical thinking is a topic that is very important to Wood. Coming to the Cherry Hill School District, he does feel he has more resources. From district to district he feels that the “district requirements in Philly were quite different.” He noticed in his short time so far at Cherry Hill East that the students are more prepared. He said he received an immediate vibe that “there is a culture of success in this district.”

Wood’s students also feel that Wood is meshing well in our school. Kyle Beauchemin (’14) said, “Mr. Wood is adapting quickly to East and is a good addition to our school.”

Wood may be adapting to changes within the district, but he makes sure he continues to sustain his teaching methods.

Creating relationships with his students is what makes Wood such a unique teacher. One of Mr. Wood’s students, Austin Wetzler (’14) said, “Mr. Wood is a great teacher and relates really well to the students.”

To Mr. Wood it is not all about just lecturing his students to try to make sure he gets all of the information across. Wood takes a different approach which he feels helps the students learn more as well as allows him to connect with the students.

“I interact with my students at a fairly high level. I enjoy my students, we have fun together,” Wood said.

With the relationships he creates with his students, Wood hopes to teach life lessons as well as physics. He teaches with the motto where he is “committed to not just get the physics content across, but I’m also committed to making each student a better person,” he said.

Taking his attributes of teaching from Northeast Philadelphia to Cherry Hill, Wood plans to continue his mentoring of his students both in physics and in life.

Wood has high hopes for his time at East. He is confident in his abilities to quickly adapt to the changes from his old district. He is very happy with how his first month at Cherry Hill East went and he wants to make sure the entire East community knows: “I’m glad to be here. It represents a new beginning for me, it’s a great opportunity. So far I like what I see; the faculty, students and administration have all been friendly and helpful.”